Spatial and age-related changes in the microstructure of dystrophic and healthy diaphragms.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive degenerative disease that results in fibrosis and atrophy of muscles. The main cause of death associated with DMD is failure of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle with a fiber microstructure that differs across regions of the muscl...

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Main Authors: Catherine C Henry, Kyle S Martin, Bridget B Ward, Geoffrey G Handsfield, Shayn M Peirce, Silvia S Blemker
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2017-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0183853&type=printable
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author Catherine C Henry
Kyle S Martin
Bridget B Ward
Geoffrey G Handsfield
Shayn M Peirce
Silvia S Blemker
author_facet Catherine C Henry
Kyle S Martin
Bridget B Ward
Geoffrey G Handsfield
Shayn M Peirce
Silvia S Blemker
author_sort Catherine C Henry
collection DOAJ
description Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive degenerative disease that results in fibrosis and atrophy of muscles. The main cause of death associated with DMD is failure of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle with a fiber microstructure that differs across regions of the muscle. However, no studies to our knowledge have examined spatial variations of muscle fibers in dystrophic diaphragm or how aging affects those variations in DMD. In this study, diaphragms were obtained from mdx and healthy mice at ages three, seven, and ten months in the dorsal, midcostal, and ventral regions. Through immunostaining and confocal imaging, we quantified sarcomere length, interstitial space between fibers, fiber branching, fiber cross sectional area (CSA), and fiber regeneration measured by centrally located nuclei. Because DMD is associated with chronic inflammation, we also investigated the number of macrophages in diaphragm muscle cross-sections. We saw regional differences in the number of regenerating fibers and macrophages during the progression of DMD in the mdx diaphragm. Additionally, the number of regenerating fibers increased with age, while CSA and the number of branching fibers decreased. Dystrophic diaphragms had shorter sarcomere lengths than age-matched controls. Our results suggest that the dystrophic diaphragm in the mdx mouse is structurally heterogeneous and remodels non-uniformly over time. Understanding regional changes in dystrophic diaphragms over time will facilitate the development of targeted therapies to prevent or minimize respiratory failure in DMD patients.
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spelling doaj-art-df96e367d22e4bddb56279640e273edb2025-08-20T02:03:55ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-01129e018385310.1371/journal.pone.0183853Spatial and age-related changes in the microstructure of dystrophic and healthy diaphragms.Catherine C HenryKyle S MartinBridget B WardGeoffrey G HandsfieldShayn M PeirceSilvia S BlemkerDuchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive degenerative disease that results in fibrosis and atrophy of muscles. The main cause of death associated with DMD is failure of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle with a fiber microstructure that differs across regions of the muscle. However, no studies to our knowledge have examined spatial variations of muscle fibers in dystrophic diaphragm or how aging affects those variations in DMD. In this study, diaphragms were obtained from mdx and healthy mice at ages three, seven, and ten months in the dorsal, midcostal, and ventral regions. Through immunostaining and confocal imaging, we quantified sarcomere length, interstitial space between fibers, fiber branching, fiber cross sectional area (CSA), and fiber regeneration measured by centrally located nuclei. Because DMD is associated with chronic inflammation, we also investigated the number of macrophages in diaphragm muscle cross-sections. We saw regional differences in the number of regenerating fibers and macrophages during the progression of DMD in the mdx diaphragm. Additionally, the number of regenerating fibers increased with age, while CSA and the number of branching fibers decreased. Dystrophic diaphragms had shorter sarcomere lengths than age-matched controls. Our results suggest that the dystrophic diaphragm in the mdx mouse is structurally heterogeneous and remodels non-uniformly over time. Understanding regional changes in dystrophic diaphragms over time will facilitate the development of targeted therapies to prevent or minimize respiratory failure in DMD patients.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0183853&type=printable
spellingShingle Catherine C Henry
Kyle S Martin
Bridget B Ward
Geoffrey G Handsfield
Shayn M Peirce
Silvia S Blemker
Spatial and age-related changes in the microstructure of dystrophic and healthy diaphragms.
PLoS ONE
title Spatial and age-related changes in the microstructure of dystrophic and healthy diaphragms.
title_full Spatial and age-related changes in the microstructure of dystrophic and healthy diaphragms.
title_fullStr Spatial and age-related changes in the microstructure of dystrophic and healthy diaphragms.
title_full_unstemmed Spatial and age-related changes in the microstructure of dystrophic and healthy diaphragms.
title_short Spatial and age-related changes in the microstructure of dystrophic and healthy diaphragms.
title_sort spatial and age related changes in the microstructure of dystrophic and healthy diaphragms
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0183853&type=printable
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AT geoffreyghandsfield spatialandagerelatedchangesinthemicrostructureofdystrophicandhealthydiaphragms
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